Here's how you know when to start potty training your toddler

Figuring out when to start potty training is almost as
angst-inducing as actually starting to potty train. Are you going
to start too early and forever give them a complex for which they
will be sending you therapy bills forever and ever? Or will you
start them too late and forever give them a complex … for which …
Oh. Crap … Suprise! There aren’t any easy answers! But it’s time
to poop or get off the pot. Here’re some tips for potty training
to help your kid get acquainted with their future porcelain pal.

Their basic technique involves creating a kind of pavlovian
response, where the parent observes signs of impending
elimination then allows the kid to let loose in an appropriate
place, like your neighbor’s azalea beds. During elimination, the
parent makes a sound that the kid then learns to listen for
before doing their thing. Clearly, this technique hasn’t been
widely adopted America or you’d see kids wetting themselves every
time their mom got a new text.

Previous generations of American kids were usually out of diapers
by 18 months, but these days it’s perfectly normal for kids to
wear diapers well into their second or even third year. Totally
up to you, but here’s why earlier might be better:

Again, wait if you want. There haven’t been a ton of studies
done to prove you should, but by most experts’ accounts it’s
fine. Probably. There does, however, seem to exist a potty
training black hole between ages one and 2. At that age, kids are
way more interested in mobility than in doing anything for you,
so you can try to start at around a year, but don’t push it if
the kid isn’t interested.

You’d be better off spending that time prepping your kid for the
eventuality of potty training, starting by acknowledging that any
modesty you might have once had is dead and buried. Actually,
getting your kid psyched for the start of later potty training
can be pretty fun — you get to talk about poop, like all the
time! Bombs away!

Let Them WatchFor real. It’ll help them
see the whole potty playbook and know it’s nothing scary. Try to
avoid your usual iPad browsing, unless you’re browsing about how
to talk to your kid about pooping. Poopception! Also, let them
flush

Talk About Who Poops And WhyTalk about why
the cat poops. And why the dog poops. And why grandpa poops. Talk
about pee. Do it all over again. Have them talk to you about when
they have to go and when they’ve gone in their diaper. Explain
why it’s important for you to know, so they don’t get itchy and
uncomfortable

Potty Role Play With A Training BowlNow
that they’ve seen everyone else go, they should start practicing.
Dry runs, as it were. Make a game out of it for a couple weeks
before you start the real thing.

Make Undies ‘Fundies’Help them appreciate
underwear and let them pick them out. Having Elsa on your
butt is a great reward, but only if you let it go (LET IT GO!) at
the right time and place.

Pass The FiberWhen the time finally comes,
at least make it easy for your kid to do the deed. There’s
nothing worse than sitting there broken hearted because you
wanted to poop and … you get it.

People who have done this way more than you have various checklists of
behaviors to watch for to ascertain if your kid is ready to
start using the crapper — things like going at least 2 hours
between urinating, recognizable facial expressions that signify a
need to go, and the ability to walk to the bathroom when they’re
ready.

A lot of these signs are actually teachable, so you can speed up
the process by talking to your kid about what they should do,
familiarizing them with their equipment and — once you start
training — praising them when they use the potty correctly. It
might feel a little weird in the moment, but not as weird as
having a 10-year-old in a diaper.